Mapfumo’s homecoming, a million-dollar olive branch and a botched Mnangagwa meeting

CHIMURENGA music icon Thomas Mapfumo’s return to Zimbabwe last week marked the end of an eight-year absence from the country.An ardent critic of the government, Mapfumo last visited Zimbabwe in 2018 when he held his homecoming concerts.Since then, the musician has stayed away from the country after ruffling the feathers of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, missing several family engagements, including the burial of his brother and fellow Blacks Unlimited band member Lancelot Mapfumo, amid fears for his safety.